The Summer issue of Dissent contains an article by Udi Greenberg, an Associate Professor of European History at Dartmouth. A principal theme of the article is to ask whether it was accurate or useful to pin the label fascist on Donald Trump. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Madeline Albright thought so, and so did Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny. Obviously, there were similarities (racism, sexism, plutocracy, disrespect for law). Among the differences between fascism and Trump, Greenberg argues is that fascism was strongly supported by impoverished youth; Trump was most strongly supported by the propertied old, anxious to preserve their privileges. Fascism sought imperial military mobilization; Trump was a draft dodger who claimed to reject military adventures.
I want to underscore an aspect of Trumpist appeal that was shared by Hitler. Here, the Republican leaders are irrelevant. They can be believers or opportunists. I am focusing on the followers. The appeal I have in mind involves aspects of the authoritarian personality (See Adorno’s F scale). I do not claim it of all Republican supporters by any means.
The Republican playbook has been to play the race card and to paint the Democrats as anti-religious, socialist or lefty, elitist, anti-conventionalist softies (they portray Democrats as thinking they are too good to respect societal norms). Trump represented the anti-liberal emotional leader with the masculine strength to fight off these minorities who think they are better than law respecting white people. Yes, this does not fit with the assault on the capital. But, if the election is being stolen, revolution is thought to be appropriate – I think this fits Scalia’s vote in Bush v. Gore.
More on the authoritarian personality soon.
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